I’m happy to have Max Vos here today to talk about his latest release, My Hero, and the inspiration behind the story and series. Welcome, Max!
I love your idea of the Hero series. What prompted the series? Did it have an inspiration?
I started My Hero just after the 2012 Olympics and it was just before Football season here. I wanted a good football story. There was a player for University of Tennessee that was the inspiration for Johnny.
I see that the setting for this book is the 2012 London Olympics. What a year! Was there anything in particular, like a certain athlete that said “hmmm, a story should be told”?
I really just wanted a good football story and finish this story and that meant going back to 2012.
With the rugby players coming out this year, can we expect to see that in a book soon?
Probably not. I know nothing about Rugby. Sorry
What characters are really so close to your heart in this series? Do you have favorites?
Johnny. I just love his goofy but determined attitude.
If you could whip up a perfect Olympic Hero menu for this couple what would it be?
If it were just Rich, that would be easy. If it were for them both… It would have to be a full-on buffet to fill Johnny up. LOL
Do you know how many books you have planned for this series?
This was the last for My Hero.
Can I beg you to write a rugby book?
You can. You can even bribe me. Doesn’t mean it’ll happen. he he he If I were to write another sports story, I think it would be about Australian Football, but that means I’d have to go back to Australia.
8 What’s next for Max Vos?
I have 5 books in the works already, probably enough to keep me busy through most of next year.
Thanks, Max.
TITLE: My Hero: The Olympian
SERIES: My Hero Series #2
AUTHOR: Max Vos
COVER ARTIST: Alex J. Corza
LENGTH: 129,600 words approx.
RELEASE DATE: November 15, 2015
BLURB: After a romantic evening, Rich and Johnny face the light of day as a couple. Johnny’s coming out forces them to face some serious repercussions as the world of collegian jocks adjust to their first openly gay football player.
Rich is still working towards the World Diving Championships with his hopes and dreams set on the 2012 London Olympic Games, while as a couple they deal with concerns closer to home.
With the support of friends and family, the young couple grow closer together, but with prejudices and adversity at every turn will Johnny and Rich be able to tackle the world together?
No matter what, Rich will always be Johnny’s hero.
“No, I’m not going to and there is nothing you can say that will make me either.” Johnny crossed his arms, a defiant look on his face, his eyes narrowed slits.
“Oh come on, John, I wear them.” Rich held up the skimpy black racing briefs. “For me?”
Johnny looked away. “No. I said no and I mean no.”
Rich leaned in close to Johnny so only he could hear. “If you wear this, I can guarantee you some of the best sex in your life. If you think I get turned on by jock straps…”
Johnny glared down at Rich. “You don’t play fair.”
“Wasn’t it you who recently said that all is fair in love and war?” Rich smirked as he dangled the tiny briefs in front of Johnny.
“It better be the best ever.” Johnny let his arms drop. “Okay. But you promised.”
Again, Rich leaned in close. “Maybe even join the mile high club.”
Johnny’s eyebrows shot up and a grin blossomed on his face. “Deal.”
“Are we done here?” Dan called to the two college men. He was standing at the counter, credit card in hand.
“One more thing, Dad.” Rich hurried over to him. “This.”
Dan raised his eyebrows slightly. “Oookay then.”
Rich snickered when he saw Johnny blushing.
“I think this will be all,” Dan said to the clerk.
“I’m going to give you a discount,” the young woman said as she rang it up. “It isn’t every day that we can say an Olympian wore some of our gear.”
“I’m not an Olympian yet,” Rich commented.
“Rich Miller, I’ve known you my entire life, and if anyone is going to be an Olympian, it’s you.” Michelle Stubbon smiled at Rich as she started putting the pile of swimsuits, track suits, shorts, and other things that he and Johnny needed for London in a bag.
“Thanks, Michelle. I appreciate the confidence everyone has in me.”
“Just remember us lowly folk when you come home with Olympic gold,” she laughed as she handed Dan the receipt.
Max Vos is the bestselling author of My Hero. He is loved by his readers for his ‘inappropriate’ side, bringing hot and steamy sex to his writing. Not hemmed in by a single genre Max has the ability to woo you with sweet romance, move you with the power of his words and make you question your definition of love.
Having retired in 2011 after more than 30 years as a chef, Max turned his creativity to writing. You can always find wonderful Southern charm, well rounded and vibrant characters with a good meaty story line in a Max Vos book. Each book will give you something new and amazing to love.
This week is one in the US where we take stock and give thanks. The end of the year is getting closer and we will have a year in review in December. But 2015 has been pretty remarkable and I have plenty to be grateful for, only some of which I will talk about here.
I am thankful for all the wonderful reviewers that have come to read and review here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words, and we have gained quite a few this year. Our perspectives on books have grown, we’ve brought in more authors and countries. My own TBR list now resembles something like Santa’s…long and winding because of all the new books and authors our reviewers have brought to my attention and hopefully yours.
We’ve brought new original blogs online. Paul’s Paranormal Portfolio and Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Word’s Author Discovery, YA Saturday, M/M First Line Quizzes, whatever comes to mind, our group of reviewers seem to chime in with great ideas and new possibilities for our blog. I love that! And yes, grow we will (channeling my inner Yoda).
To my Reviewers! Thank you in no particular order, Barb the Zany Old Lady, Sammy, Paul B, BJ, Mika, Stella, F. D., Jeri, Wynter, Ali, and Aurora. To totally embarrass you all. Wild things! You make my heart sing, you make everything groovy..and this blog wouldn’t work without you all and your wonderful contributions. Mwah!
To Our Readers! I’m thankful for all you readers who follow us on here, on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and wherever else we land. We love our books, its why we write our reviews. We write them for our readers, for you. So please keep your comments coming. We love to hear them. And if you think there is a author out there for us, suggest them to us too!
Whew! Like those Academy Awards, I think I hear the music and its telling me to stop now, pleases stop! Almost done.
Last Saturday, we started our November M/M First Line Quiz. You have 1 more week to find the answers and send them in if you want to win the prize. Get going! Here is the link.
Everyone who celebrates have a safe and happy Thanksgiving in the United States and for all the expats abroad.
Now for this weeks schedule.
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Sunday, November 22:
It’s Thanksgiving and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
RJ Scott Guest Post for End Street 5 – The Case Of The Purple Pearl (contest)
Monday, November 23:
Author Spotlight: My Interview with Max Vox, author of ‘My Hero: The Olympian’ by Max Vos (excerpt/contest)
Coffee Sip and Book Break with Love In Uniform anthology (excerpt and giveaway)
Can Love Return? Check Out HelenKay Dimon’s Stranded (contest)
A MelanieM Review: The Devil’s Due by Parker Williams
A Stella Review: What Happens At Christmas by Jay Northcote
Tuesday, November 24:
Adrian J. Smith ‘Spirit of Grace’ series – Keep Me In Mind tour
Will & Patrick Are Back in Will & Patrick Do the Holidays by Leta Blake & Alice Griffiths (contest)
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Driven Snow by Tara Lain
A Mika Review: Reaping Havoc by A.J. Rose
A BJ Review: Chrysalis Corporation by T.A. Venedicktov
Wednesday, November 25:
Contemporary Spotlight: Becca Burton ‘Something Like A Love Song’ (excerpt and giveaway)
Coffee Sip and Book Break with ‘Black Lace’ by LJ Hamlin (excerpt and giveaway)
Elizabeth Wilde’s Defiant Loyalties Blog Tour and Contest
An Ali Review: Dangerous Territory by Cari Z
A BJ Review: Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts (Claimings #1) by Lyn Gala
Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Stranded by HelenKay Dimon
Thursday, November 26 :
Happy Thanksgiving to all in the U.S. and Americans abroad!
A Barb the Zany Old Lady: Easy Evening by Mary Calmes
A Stella Review: The Winter Spirit by Indra Vaughn
A MelanieM Review: A Guy’s Thanksgiving by Skylar M. Cates
A Ali Review: The Werewolf of Grey Lake Inn by Megan Derr
Friday, November 27:
Kim Fielding’s “The Sacrifice and Other Stories.” Guest Blog and Giveaway
RJ Scott: The Guardian Angel by Liam Livings Tour and Contest
A Jeri Review: Like No One is Watching (Dance, Love, Live #1) by Jaime Samms
Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: The Fitzwarren Inheritance by Chris Quinton, RJ Scott and Sue Brown
A Paul B Review: Branding an Icy Heart (Wolves of Stone Ridge 32) by Charlie Richards
A BJ Review: Sacrifices and Other Stories by Kim Fielding
Saturday, November 28:
In the Spotlight: Legal Brief’ by Kyan Christopher (excerpt and giveaway)
A Free Dreamer YA Review: You Promised Me Two Years by Angela Yseult
Do you have knock down, dragout fights about who gets to write first for a book? Hee hee Seriously though answer the question
RJ: Oh no, Amber always works it so it’s me that has to write the sex scenes.
Amber: I’m clever that way.
RJ: We take it in turns I think. Don’t we? (actually has no idea whatsoever)
Amber: Yes. A lot has to do with our schedules. Whoever is more available when we decide to begin the next book usually starts. We generally have a rough (extremely rough) outline at that point.
RJ: Which, given how much we both write, is the reason for delays between books! And yes, to the rough outline. We kind of know where we are going with the story, but given both Amber and I don’t plot our books generally, it works okay. Then there are moments when i will write blah blah *insert supernatural being here* and Amber adds it in.
Amber: It’s true she does do that. LOL!
RJ: I also let her write the chapter headings (although i often have to re-write them… nods)
Amber: *sigh*
RJ: Sniggers
In a cage fight, who’d win? (I’m sort of thinking Thunderdome, with bungee cords and various weapons hanging from the ceiling, except I don’t want you to hurt each other so maybe feather dusters and custard pies?)
Amber: Hmm. Tough question. We would probably end up sitting at the bottom of the cage sharing pie and demanding tea and coffee to go with it.
RJ: I have a weight advantage if i could somehow sit on her. But yes, eating the pie sounds like a good outcome.
Blurb
After failing in a quest to win the Fae Queen’s approval, Halstein is locked in a world of stone. Forced to remain a gargoyle he spends his days on Sam’s desk pining for his lost love.
Prince Idris’s lover went missing and was presumed dead. Alone, Idris lives a life away from court, starved of energy but unwilling to sleep in the room he once shared with his beloved.
Can Sam and Bob save these fated lovers before it’s too late? And will Bob’s ultimate sacrifice be enough to free Hal from his prison?
Book 3 – The Case of the Dragon’s Dilemma Book 4 – The Case of the Sinful Santa
Excerpt
Chapter One “What are you doing?”
Sam sighed. This was the fifth time today their visiting gargoyle had asked him that. Three weeks had passed since it had decided to stay at the house and wait for Sam to find it a master. And those three weeks had lasted a very long time.
“Taxes,” Sam muttered. The same answer he’d given every single time he’d been asked.
“I don’t like math,” the little gargoyle said. He waddled across Sam’s desk, leaving small muddy footprints on a neatly filled-in form. Sam couldn’t even muster the energy to get angry.
“Are you going to tell me your name yet?” Sam asked. He placed his pen on the desk and leaned back with a stretch, eying the small gargoyle against the hulking monstrosity that sat immobile on the corner of his desk. They were so dissimilar, in size and expression.
“You know I can only tell my master.”
“I can’t keep calling you the little gargoyle. I’m going to have to give you a name.”
The little gargoyle turned in a circle to face Sam, then squatted into a pose with his mouth open in a snarl. It looked pretty mean, and Sam edged back.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
The gargoyle’s expression changed back to the one he usually had; that of a dopey baby.
“Nothing, I was just giving you my fierce face so you can give me the right name. I’m not having you calling me Sunshine or Cutie. I want something strong like Zephariel Angel of Vengeance.”
Sam couldn’t help the snort of laughter, then immediately felt guilty when the gargoyle’s expression fell. “Sorry,” he apologized. “It’s just, uhm, that name is taken. How about Leo, like a lion, a brave, strong lion.”
The gargoyle tilted his head in contemplation, then nodded. “Leo, I like Leo. I’m done with you now. You already have a gargoyle. I’m going to find my true master.”
That decided, he jumped down off the desk and waddled over to the door, sidestepping awkwardly when Smudge slunk in with intent in every step. In a leap, Smudge was up on the desk, sitting right on the tax forms and staring straight into Sam’s face.
“What are you doing?” Smudge asked telepathically.
“Taxes,” Sam answered. He didn’t add a sigh this time.
“You should be tracking down what kind of other your uncle’s pet gargoyle is.”
Leo, the newly named visiting gargoyle, had declared that the old paperweight on Sam’s desk that looked like a gargoyle, walked like a gargoyle, and was stone like a gargoyle, wasn’t actually a gargoyle at all, but other.
“Where do you suggest I start? And why can’t you tell what it is, oh powerful familiar.” Sam couldn’t help the sarcasm. Smudge was capable of putting souls back in bodies and using heavy magic, but he couldn’t track down what kind of paranormal had been transformed into an ancient crumbling gargoyle paperweight?
“I’ll forget you said that,” Smudge said condescendingly. “I’ve been busy.”
“With what?” Sam asked. Privately he thought Smudge spent too much time cleaning himself with his paws up in the air and his tongue—
“I can hear you,” Smudge warned. “And who else do you think can keep your attic spider infestation at bay?”
Sam shuddered. He didn’t like small spiders at best, let alone the giant ones Smudge had suggested lived only a few floors up. “Good work,” Sam praised. “And as to our paperweight friend here—” Sam tapped the solid stone thing on the head with a stapler. “—I’ve put out a request to everyone I know as to who may be missing someone. I used the ParaGoogle to see if anyone knows anything. Not sure what else I can do at this stage.”
Smudge gave a feline version of a huff, deliberately washed himself on the desk for a good five minutes, then disappeared out of the room. Sam shook off the fur that had fallen on his paperwork. This needed to be done and, unless he finished it soon, he’d have the authorities fining him all over the place.
A knock on his office door jerked Sam from his sad contemplation of the bills he had to pay. Although he’d earned some money recently and he owned the building where he worked and lived, the flow of money going out far exceeded the money rushing into his pockets.
Taxes were a bitch.
Giveaway
Competition to win $15 Amazon/Are giftcard, and 2 further prizes of RJ Scott e-books – closes 6th December at 00:01 GMT (London)
RJ Scott has been writing since age six, when she was made to stay in at lunchtime for an infraction involving cookies. She was told to write a story and two sides of paper about a trapped princess later, a lover of writing was born.
As an avid reader herself, she can be found reading anything from thrillers to sci-fi to horror. However, her first real true love will always be the world of romance where she takes cowboys, bodyguards, firemen and billionaires (to name a few) and writes dramatic and romantic stories of love and passion between these men.
With over seventy titles to her name and counting, she is the author of the award winning book, The Christmas Throwaway. She is also known for the Texas series charting the lives of Riley and Jack, and the Sanctuary series following the work of the Sanctuary Foundation and the people it protects.
Her goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.
Amber Kell is one of those quiet people they always tell you to watch out for. She lives in Dallas with her husband, two sons, and one extremely stupid dog.
Paul Jansen was the only one of his friends who wanted a relationship. Naturally, he’s the last single man standing. No gay man within a fifty-mile radius wants more than casual sex. No one, that is, except too-young, too-twinky Kyle Parks, who sends him suggestive texts and leaves X-rated snow sculptures on his front porch.
Kyle is tired of being the town’s resident Peter Pan. He’s twenty-five, not ten, and despite his effeminate appearance, he’s nothing but the boss in bed. He’s loved Paul since forever, and this Christmas, since they’re both working on the Winter Wonderland festival, he might finally get his chance for a holiday romance.
But Paul comes with baggage. His ultra-conservative family wants him paired up with a woman, not a man with Logan’s rainbow connection. When their anti-LGBT crusade spills beyond managing Paul’s love life and threatens the holiday festival, Kyle and Paul must fight for everyone’s happily ever after, including their own.
Warning: Contains erotic snow art, toppy twinks, and super-sweet holiday moments. Best savored with a mug of hot chocolate with a dash of spice
Heidi Cullinan has always enjoyed a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. Proud to be from the first Midwestern state with full marriage equality, Heidi is a vocal advocate for LGBT rights. She writes positive-outcome romances for LGBT characters struggling against insurmountable odds because she believes there’s no such thing as too much happy ever after. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, playing with her cats, and watching television with her family. Find out more about Heidi at http://www.heidicullinan.com.
Grand prize giveaway open from November 1-30. Includes paperback copies of Let It Snow, Sleigh Ride, and Winter Wonderland, and a Logan-themed mug. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Prizes and link provided by the author. Good luck and happy reading!
Minnesota Christmas series. What happens when the three bears of a little Minnesota town go looking for love? Find out with the Minnesota Christmas series from Heidi Cullinan.
959 Brenton Street (Men of Falcon Pointe #1) by Thianna Durston Release Date: November 20, 2015
Goodreads Link Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist: Catt Ford
Blurb
Trent Farnsworth moves to Falcon Pointe to get as far away from his controlling family and religion as he can. While his conservative upbringing makes it hard for Trent to admit he’s gay, he accidentally outs himself in front of his four new roommates. None of the men living at 959 Brenton Street are what the world would consider normal, but all four accept him for who he is. And when Trent falls for his much older landlord, Dr. Cory Venerin, he’s as surprised as anyone, but discovering Cory feels the same makes Trent realize he’s truly in the right place at the right time.
Until he tells his family he’s gay. His father uses any resource at his disposal to destroy him, including Trent’s love for Cory. As his father schemes to send Trent to a hospital whose sole purpose is to rip the gay out of him, Cory battles to save not only Trent—but also the possibility of a future together.
Cory stood up and left the room, his footfalls a staccato beat on the stairs.
“Damn,” David said, grimacing. “I was kind of hoping to let you know about this later on. I mean, hell, you’ve just come out today. That should be enough of a shock.”
“What?” he asked nervously, beginning to wonder what they hadn’t told him. What the hell could they be covering up?
“Uh, this house is….” Alan said.
“Discipline based,” Greg filled in, handing him another muffin.
“What does that mean?” he asked. He took the sweet confection and nibbled on the corner.
“It means we keep to the rules or we come to a meeting with a very hard paddle,” David said wryly as Cory came down the stairs carrying in his hand what looked like a small breadboard. “Meet the enemy.”
They couldn’t possibly mean what he thought they meant. They were all grown men. Surely nobody paddled anyone else. That was… barbaric. He widened his eyes as he crossed one leg over the other. And a turn-on apparently. What kind of freak was he, anyway?
Thianna likes to say she’s eclectic, fun, and just a bit naughty. She can also add, subtract, multiply, and divide in her head, but if people ask her to do it at parties, she isn’t impressed. While she would love to say there wasn’t a genre she had read that she didn’t enjoy, it would be a lie. For some reason, she keeps skipping to the ends of mystery books to find out who done it.
The creator and acquisition editor for the Corbin’s Bend Romance series, she wants to know: Who else wants to be safe, secure, and spanked in Colorado?
Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $5.00 Amazon gift card. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Jessie G author of Safety in Numbers, book five in the Sizzling Miami series. Hi Jessie, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.
Someone asks you for advice about writing. What do you tell them?
I try not to give advice because writing is a very individual and solitary pursuit. That said, there is a few things I’ve learned along the way that I can share. First and foremost, writing classes are good for general purposes but if you try to write to some formula or strict rules, the story won’t flow. What you absolutely need to know is who, where and why—after that, let the first draft write itself. Let it go off on tangents, let it birth new characters you never intended, and stop trying to wrangle it into some stiff, bullet pointed list of events.
Once you have a first draft, read it and then reread it. In your head, aloud, print it out and mark it up, work and tweak it until you’ve refined it. It may be close to the plotted outline you worked up, if you’re that type of writer, but odds are you’ll find surprises—good surprises—that were lurking in that creative brain of yours that you hadn’t planned for. After you have a solid second draft, read it and then reread it. Print it out and mark it up. Rinse and repeat until you fall in love, and only then do you have a piece that’s ready for someone else’s eyes.
For me, that’s my editor. She gets my first final draft and only after we’ve gone through a full round of edits do I give my WIP to my beta readers. Then I walk away from it until I have the second round of edits back along with all the beta feedback. Once I’ve applied what I agree with, I consider the book done. Sure, I could go around and around and around, and if there was something major my editor had issues with, we’d work that out accordingly. But usually by this point, I’ve reworked my story about ten times. Several on my own, two or three with the editor and betas, and it runs the risk of becoming overworked.
In that window that I’ve walked away, I think about the next book on my timeline. It helps me avoid overworking by focusing my creative mind on the next characters.
Still, like I said before, writing is a very individual and solitary pursuit. You have to find your process. The only thing I’m a hundred percent sure of is that trying to stick to everything I learned in all those creative writing classes stunted my creativity. Now I let it flow, I tweak, and I have an editor and betas who keep me from straying too far outside the lines.
Thank you so much for hosting Safety in Numbers today. Good luck to all who enter the rafflecopter and if anyone has any questions, I’ll be stopping by to answer. – Jessie
Blurb
“Bros stick together no matter what.”
When Chris and Liam made that promise, they had no idea how important it would become or how it would be tested in the most brutal way. Nine years later, their bond cemented in blood, that relationship is all they have to hold on to.
“No matter what happens, this friendship will be the one constant we can count on.”
When Billy and Owen made that promise, they knew exactly how dangerous the world could be. They survived prison by protecting each other and they survived freedom by holding that promise sacred. Now they want more than just to survive and they want it from the brothers whose bond is as strong as their own.
“We are stronger together than we’ll ever be apart.”
When Owen reaches his breaking point, Chris jumps at the chance to make things right for all of them. With the future in their grasp, will they realize their strength is in their numbers and finally become the family they crave?
Author’s Note: This is NOT a foursome, but the story of two couples that needed to be told together.
Excerpt
That silence hid a lot from their friends, but Liam knew Chris was plagued with memories far worse than his. That’s why they decided not to celebrate alone this year. Billy and Owen were expected any minute and it was the first time they invited anyone to join them. The anniversary was bittersweet for them and they chose to celebrate it because becoming brothers meant that much to them. “Do you think they’ll find it stupid?”
Chris just shrugged as if it was no skin off his back what they thought and Liam knew that was just bravado. Fact was, they both very much cared what the two men thought. “Liar.”
His brother sighed and dropped his head back. As if shit wasn’t fucked up enough, they fell for two bastards just as fucked up as they were. “I know you’re worried about Owen. The business with Colin is growing out of their control and I’m not sure why he thinks it’s a good thing. Is he trying to prove something? And the middle of the night phone calls from the FTR? He’s looking more and more fragile every day.”
Liam knew he wasn’t stating anything new. What he didn’t know was what Chris intended to do about it. Lately, when it came to Owen, Chris conveyed zero intent and seemed to be waiting for Owen to read him as effortlessly as Liam did. Their brother bond had been forged through blood and he was afraid Chris’s expectations of Owen were unreasonable. “Do you see his face every time he thinks he’s failed to understand you? The weight of it is crushing.”
Instead of regret, all Liam saw was anger in Chris. It wasn’t a common emotion for Chris and Liam could name every time he saw it. The fact that Chris knew what he was capable of if provoked had made him extremely conscious of that emotion and he often went to great lengths to contain it.
Owen was the very definition of insecure. Just the type to inspire Chris’s protective instincts, which Liam knew for a fact Owen did. Hell, he inspired Liam’s protective instincts. Owen was stubborn though and he often distanced himself, keeping things bottled up until they manifested elsewhere. Like in panic attacks that felt like heart attacks, which he also tried to hide. Liam nearly lost it when they found out that Billy was keeping Owen’s secret.
Chris nodded slowly, as if he completely followed Liam’s train of thought and waited for him to connect the dots. And just like that, Liam understood. “You’re pissed because he doesn’t come to you when the panic sets in. That he hides it from you and they hide it from us.”
It made total sense, but he had to wonder if they were expecting too much. After all, they couldn’t call what was going on with either man a relationship. No, they were four fucked up bastards trying to come together in some romanticwhat? Not a foursome, eww…he loved Chris, but yeah, that just wasn’t happening. And Owen wasn’t his type any more than Billy was Chris’s type. But—always with the fucking buts, right?—what was happening was very definitely happening to the four of them, and Liam now had to wonder if that was the problem, because trying to come together was definitely not the same as being together.
Chris shook his head and shifted in his seat. No, he was right. It wasn’t just their brother bond that made it impossible to move forward as two separate couples. Billy and Owen had formed their own unique friendship in prison and were no more likely to move forward without the other one either. “Just once, couldn’t we have done something the easy way?”
The fire door banged open and Liam turned to see Billy and Owen, arms full of brightly wrapped packages, struggling to pull a huge cluster of balloons through the door. It was a shocking contrast to their dark thoughts and so uncharacteristically sweet of both men. Billy caught their surprised stare and yelled, “Is this where the party’s at?”
“It is now.” It might seem silly, but it was exactly what they needed and exactly who they needed it from. Maybe they hadn’t been expecting too much at all. Liam rose to give them a hand and glanced down to see the look of longing in Chris’s eyes and thought maybe it was time they all expected more.
Pages or Words: 76,000 words Categories: Gay fiction, M/M Romance, Romance
Like many readers, the dream of being a writer has been with me a long time. After three decades of trying, I’d begun to doubt. Thanks to social media, I followed my favorite authors hoping to glean some words of wisdom as I pounded out half-formed ideas with alarming regularity. Two repetitive themes emerged: to be a great writer you must read a lot and your butt must be in the chair every day like it’s a job. The more you write, the easier it will be to write and the better you will be at writing. I took that advice to heart and write every day. With six published books to date, three series in the works and a full schedule of releases planned for the next two years, it’s been amazing to have made this dream my reality.
I am a firm believer in marriage equality, love at first sight, power dynamics and happily ever after. I’m a lover of strong secondary characters and series filled with families, biological or chosen. All are themes you’ll find throughout my books.
Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: 2-$25 ebook GC (Amazon, B&N, ARE, or KOBO) winner’s choice, as well as 2 signed paperbacks of Safety in Numbers. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
What Happens At Christmas by Jay Northcote Release Date: November 19, 2015
Goodreads Link Publisher: Jaybird Press Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh
Blurb
When two friends pose as boyfriends, could what happens at Christmas turn into something more?
Justin is recently and unhappily single. Christmas is coming, and he doesn’t want to face his ex alone at their office party. So Sean—Justin’s best mate and long-time secret crush—volunteers to go with him and pretend to be his new flame.
Sean has always lusted after Justin from afar, but there’s never been a good opportunity to ask him for more than friendship. Posing as Justin’s boyfriend isn’t a chore, and if Justin wants to rebound onto him, Sean’s more than willing. At the party pretence and reality blur, and a kiss on the dance floor leads to a night of passion.
In the aftermath, they both assume it was a one-time thing until fate intervenes. Stuck together in London over the holidays, they give in to temptation again. But what happens at Christmas stays at Christmas… right?
Excerpt
Justin’s phone chimed with a text, interrupting Sean’s train of thought.
Justin picked up his phone to read the message. “Ugh.” He put the phone back down without typing a reply and ran his hands through his hair.
“What’s up?”
Justin sighed. “It’s our work Christmas party next weekend. I’ve already got a ticket, and nearly everyone in the office goes, but it’s for partners as well. One of my co-workers, Jess, is bugging me to come, but I can’t face it. I bet Andy’s going to bring his new boyfriend. I know he’s a shit and I shouldn’t let him get to me, but the thought of him parading around with my replacement, and me being there on my own, isn’t very appealing.”
“Is it too late to find someone to take?”
“No, they don’t need final numbers till Monday.”
“Well, then. Take someone else and flirt like crazy in front of him. Show him you can do better and that you’ve already moved on.”
“But I’m not ready to date. It’s only been two weeks, and I’m still at the feeling-sorry-for-myself stage.”
“I’ll go with you,” Sean offered. “I could be your date. We could pretend we’ve got together and are a couple now.”
“Yeah?” Justin looked thoughtful. “Are you sure?”
Duh. It would hardly be much of a sacrifice to flirt with Justin all night. It would actually be a relief not to have to hide the way he felt for a change.
“Sure,” Sean replied. “I think I can manage to fake that I’m arse-over-tit infatuated with you. As long as it’s only for a few hours.”
“Gee, thanks.” Justin rolled his eyes. “You really know how to make an already-wounded ego feel better. But if you’re up for it, we should totally do it. Andy was always jealous of you before you went away. He saw you as competition because we lived together and were so close. I’d love to see his face when I walk in with you on my arm. I think he’ll hate it even if he’s moved on.”
“Okay.” Sean rubbed his hands together, excited at the prospect of getting to piss off Andy. “Let’s do it! Text your friend Jess back and tell her you’re in—with a hot date.”
Pages or Words: 37,000 words (approximate) Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance
Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two children, and two cats.
She comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a short story–just to see if she could–and found it rather addictive. She hasn’t stopped writing since.
Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: Backlist e-copy and a $10 gift card. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
Emerald: Good and Evil ( The Stones of Power #5) by M.D. Grimm Release Date: November 18, 2015
Goodreads Link Publisher: Torquere Press Cover Artist: Kris Norris
Blurb
Home. Family.
Those words often invoke a sense of love and comfort. But for the dark mage Morgorth, they mean hate and pain. As the seventh son of a seventh son, many believe Morgorth’s destiny is to become the Destroyer. His father embraced such a future and trained Morgorth through torture and fear to become his weapon. Morgorth managed to escape his father’s cruelty, but not the nightmares that still haunt him. For many years he’s lived with the stain of his father’s savagery, but now he must confront his nightmares head-on.
His father has found a stone of power.
Morgorth must return to his land of birth, to the memories he’s tried his entire life to suppress. Aishe is determined to help Morgorth defeat his inner demons, but he knows he might not be enough to save Morgorth from embracing his darkness. They know it will be a fight to the death and know Morgorth won’t be the same if he survives. With Aishe by his side, Morgorth hunts for his father, and finds answers to questions he never dared to ask—and must live with the truths they reveal.
Pages or Words: 78,000 words Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Romance
Not standalone novels, should be read in order
Excerpt
I glanced at Aishe to see he had his bow, an arrow nocked, and quiver at his side. He was crouched, still looking ill, but his eyes were hard and flat. I grinned in pride. Nothing could keep my mate down. I let the wind die and the ship slowed, rocking violently, the water lapping hard at its sides. The tentacles caught up and tried to wrap around the ship once again. I didn’t risk fire, but I had another element that was aplenty around me: water. Just as I gathered focus for the next spell, a tentacle tried to slither onto the deck, heading toward me. Before I could react Aishe shot an arrow, puncturing the slimy flesh of the tentacle. Then he ran and leapt over it, and with his sword, sliced off the tip. The tentacle shot back into the water, and the monster bellowed in pain. Aishe spun around, nocking another arrow. He was now close to me, and I could see it was a struggle for him to remain focused. He was sweating profusely and deathly pale. I would have ordered him below deck if I thought he would listen.
More tentacles were now slithering around the ship and the crew did what they could, cutting at the appendages and shooting their own arrows. They gave me the time I needed. I ran across the deck and realized the monster’s tentacles seemed to be following me. I wasn’t surprised, since most creatures could sense magick and many predators were attracted to it. If a predator ate a mage, they sometimes gained the power of their food: you are what you eat. I could use that to my advantage.
I reached the other side of the ship and flung my hand down with another word, using the magick in the water—every element had magick, instilled there by the Mother—and used it to freeze the water. But not just on the surface, I made the ice sink below where the beast rested. I continued the spell, causing the tentacles to freeze. It wasn’t easy to freeze saltwater but as I was using the magick within the element, and not my own to control it, it was much easier. Once the tentacles stopped moving, I instantly swung around and used the wind again to get the ship to move. We shot across the water once more, and I happened to look back to see what the beast was doing. We hadn’t gone very far before the ice broke. I realized the beast was far bigger, and stronger, than I’d suspected. I watched, fascinated and terrified, as the beast surged completely to the surface. Its bulbous head and gaping mouth appeared, its tentacles writhing in rage. Those black, pitiless eyes focused on us, and then the monster dove back into the water. It sped toward us, creating a hump in the water.
I took a deep breath, reaching a decision. It wasn’t going to stop, not until it had eaten me and destroyed the ship. I stopped the wind.
“Everyone hold onto something!” I bellowed. I glanced at Aishe as he clung to the rail, his eyes huge and locked on me.
I stood in the middle of the ship again and closed my eyes. My magick flashed hot inside me, and I used it to once again grab hold of the water’s magick. I clenched my fists and let the foreign magick fill me, feeling the pressure of it, the fluidness of the water, the refreshing and cool sensation. Then I opened my eyes and quickly grabbed a crystal from one of my pouches. It was small but it would serve for the task I gave it. I clasped the crystal between both hands and unleashed the spell with a focused word inside my mind. The spell latched onto the crystal and just as the beast reached us, intent on smashing the ship to pieces, the water suddenly shot upward, like a reverse waterfall.
A large column of water lifted the ship out of harm’s way and the tentacles of the beast slashed at the column as it roared in frustration. I made sure the ship reached a good height before locking the spell into the crystal. Spells only lasted if there was enough energy, or rather, magick, to sustain them. With crystals, I could hold the spell longer by pumping a predetermined amount of magick into them, turning the spell into an enchantment. I used such techniques for Geheimnis. I frequently had to recharge the crystals but it meant I didn’t have to consciously think about the spells anymore. They were very nearly freestanding. I used the same concept here but of a shorter extent. What I had planned wouldn’t take very long.
I ran to Aishe and pushed the crystal into his hands. “Hold onto this. It will keep you all airborne.”
“What are you doing?” Aishe made to grab me, but I had already leapt onto the rail, struggling to keep my balance.
“I’ll be right back,” I said.
“Morgorth—”
I took a deep breath before I dove off the rail. I locked my hands over my head and made sure my magick was bubbling right below the surface. The beast rose out of the water and opened its mouth. This was going to hurt.
M.D. Grimm has wanted to write stories since second grade and nothing has changed since then. Thankfully, she has indulgent parents who let her dream, but also made sure she understood she’d need a steady job to pay the bills. After graduating from the University of Oregon and majoring in English, she embarked on her writing career and couldn’t be happier. Working by day, writing by night, she enjoys journeying on romantic quests and daring adventures and creating characters that always triumph against the villain, and find their soul mate in the process.
Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of Emerald: Good and Evil. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
My interview with Joe Cosentino, author of A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, a holiday novella from Dreamspinner Press.
Welcome back, Joe Cosentino, and happy holidays! Speaking of the holidays, your latest short novella, A Home for the Holidays, is a title ripe for pulling memories out of people. What made you pick that title?
Regardless of whether or not you celebrate the winter holidays, I think all of us are looking for a place to call home. That place is beside the people we love. Bobby and Paolo learn that in my story.
What memories conjure up the holidays for you?
I would love to answer chestnuts roasting on an open fire, sitting at the window seat and watching the snow fall over the lake, sleigh riding down the mountain then cuddling over a hot chocolate mug at the fireplace, and opening lavish gifts under a Christmas tree draped in golden ornaments. In actuality, Like Bobby and Paolo in my story, I come from a large funny Italian family who celebrate the holidays as if they’re lives depended on it. Relatives sit at a long table packed with enough delicious food to feed all of New Jersey—including the governor! My mother asks my father to say Grace. He lifts his wine and offers, “Salute, drink up.” My mother then asks each of us to remove the napkin from the belly of the ceramic Santa on the table in front of him or her, saying, “I made them at the senior center. After I die, I want you all to take these out each Christmas, think of me, and cry buckets.” As platters of savory food are passed from person to person, relatives ask me why my books haven’t been made into movies yet starring Al Pacino. During the scrumptious meal, the dog rests her paws on my legs and begs for food. When I tell my mother I’m allergic, Mom replies, “I don’t know why you don’t like the dog. She likes you!” After dinner, we open more gifts than Macys can house in their warehouse. Everyone has a funny story to tell, and my mother has an opinion on everything from crime (“If anybody messes with my grandchildren, I’ll cut his heart out.”) to the economy (“The problem with the economy is that our neighbors go out to eat and shop for clothes too much.”) to the environment (“The planet is a mess, because nobody cleans as good as I do.”). Then everyone falls asleep in front of the television set.
When you think of the holidays and home, what is the picture that springs to mind and how did that influence your story?
I’d love to answer spiritual reflection (though I do that too), but in reality I think about my Italian family. They certainly influenced this story as Bobby’s parents and Paolo’s grandmother are a great deal like mine—and hysterically funny. My family also pestered me for years to go to Italy, where the story takes place. So one year like Kunta Kinte charting his roots, my spouse and I dipped into our savings—and dipped into the Dramamine, and booked a flight and bus tour from the US to Rome, Naples, Venice, Assisi, Lake Como, Milan, Florence, the Amalphi Coast, Pompeii, Tuscany, and Lake Maggiore. However, there was no site more gorgeous, magical, and romantic than the Island of Capri. My family members were right! It was not to be missed. Upon arriving back in the US, I thanked them. I also realized I had to write a romantic story taking place in Capri, including Capri’s stunning villas, enormous cliffs sitting majestically on the sparkling turquoise water, white sand beaches surrounded by white stone formations, sumptuous food, sensuous people, and the stunning Grotta Azzurra (the Blue Grotto) with its brilliant shades of iridescent sapphire and emerald from the sun’s reflection on the water in the cove.
In my story Bobby, a young, Italian American law student, travels to Capri to meet his quaint Italian relatives. Though they get off to a rocky start, he falls in love with his handsome, muscular, sexy Italian third cousin, Paolo. Bobby is hardworking, and Paolo is hard living. Bobby is a romantic, and Paolo is more concerned about his clothing and social life. Their relationship with highs and lows and some captivating surprises is the core of this HEA novella.
After reading A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, readers have said they’ve taken a little trip to Capri and had the romance of a lifetime—for a lot less money! I hope readers will pick up this short novella bursting with the sights, scents, sounds, tastes, and romance of the magnificent island of Capri! And I love hearing from readers. They can contact me at: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com.
Blurb
Bobby McGrath’s Christmas trip to the beautiful Italian Island of Capri to meet his eccentric, extended family offers stunning views—none more stunning than his third cousin, Paolo Mascobello, a real stocking stuffer. As the two young men embark on a relationship, Bobby, a driven law student, learns to relax and bask under the old Italian moon, and Paolo realizes there’s more to life than a frolic on the beach. For the two to find everlasting amore, Paulo must overcome his fear of commitment and learn to follow his dreams, and Bobby must get his wish for happily ever after. “Reading this little holiday treat is like taking a romantic trip to gorgeous Capri, Italy!”
About the Author
Amazon Bestselling author Joe Cosentino wrote An Infatuation, A Shooting Star, A Home for the Holidays (Dreamspinner Press),Drama Queen the first Nicky and Noah mystery (Lethe Press), Paper Doll the first Jana Lane mystery (Whiskey Creek Press), andThe Nutcracker and the Mouse King (Eldridge Plays and Musicals). He has appeared in principal acting roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, Charles Keating, and Jason Robards. His one-act plays, Infatuation and Neighbor, were performed in New York City. He wrote The Perils of Pauline educational film (Prentice Hall Publishers). Joe is currently Head of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily married. His upcoming releases in 2016 are The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland (Dreamspinner Press short stories novella), Porcelain Doll the second Jana Lane mystery (Wild Rose Press), and Drama Muscle the second Nicky and Noah mystery (Lethe Press).
ebook
Expected publication: December 2nd 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781634765367
edition languageEnglish Words: 15,000
Giveaway
Giveaway: Joe Cosentino is the author of two other hit novellas from Dreamspinner Press: AN INFATUATION and A SHOOTING STAR. Leave a comment below about your holiday plans. The one that we think hits it home the most for us will receive your choice of an AN INFATUATION or A SHOOTING STAR e-book from the author. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Happy holidays!
“as Joe Cosentino proves time and time again, with his wonderful writing and storytelling ability, love will prevail, and you will smile from ear to ear.” Kathy Mac Reviews
“a master class in how to write short fiction (or any fiction). Joe Cosentino has provided a work that will leave you thinking and wanting to savor and re-read it again and again.” GGR Reviews
“Like an onion, Joe Cosentino’s stories have layers.” “For those readers looking for something a little bit different – dare I say unique? For those readers who like to laugh. For those readers who appreciate the nuances of people and the way each character is different. For those readers who want to read a damn good story – check out this author. I’m glad I did.” “A truly fabulous read.” Boy Meets Boy Reviews
“This story just blew me away.” Cathy Brockman Romance/MM Good Book Reviews
“From the beginning I was enthralled and couldn’t wait to finish the book.” Inked Rainbow Reads
“really grabs you and tugs at your emotions” “unique and enjoyable.” Nautical Star Books
“It turned out exactly how I wanted it to.” BFD Book Blog
“This is polished prose at its best. Intelligent writing, a thought-provoking plot and characters befitting the theater genre” “one of my favorite reads this year.” Love’s Last Refuge Reviews
“Don’t miss this one friends, it is a heartfelt story magical in the telling! Thanks Joe for putting your heart on the page for us to savor!”
Bike Book Reviews
“It’s unusual for me to get sucked into a book in the first chapter but it grabbed me early and I read the whole thing in one day”.
Nautical Star Books
“There were times I laughed and then there were times I cried…unforgettable.” Multitaskingmomma Reviews
“I really loved this book and having an ending that made me laugh and cry at the same time is testament to the brilliant writing.” BooksLaidBareBoys
“The author executed his storyline with a marvelous precision that would be the envy of many authors. He draws the readers into the lives of his characters, they become real and in turn, their emotions becomes yours.” “If you can only afford to buy one more book this year, buy this one.” Three Books Over the Rainbow Reviews
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words was expecting Havan Fellows and Lee Brazil today but there seems to be a mixup! Look who arrived along with them, its Sprocket and Chaz from Heart on the Run for a very special and delicious post! Good morning you two and welcome to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.
Sprocket: Hey there…come on in, don’t be shy, god knows I’m not. *Sprocket smiles and ushers everyone in* For those that might not know me (which is pretty much everyone), my name is Sprocket Moretti. I’m a spunky twenty-three year old that attends college and works at Craft Time—a craft and fabric store in the heart of Parkerburg, right next to the finest dining establishment in the state, Alimentaire. That’s where I met Chaz *Sprocket sighs as he stares at the hot ginger in the corner of the kitchen bent over the counter with a bowl and whisk in his hands* one extremely talented sous chef, with a great ass.
Chaz: *glances over shoulder and blushes* Aw… C’mon Sprocket! How can I cook with you saying things like that?
Sprocket: Like what?
Chaz: Like things that make me want to run over there and jump you to show you how much I appreciate you.
Sprocket: Don’t let me stop you…
Chaz and I are here today because, well Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words rocks—not just because the name is awesome, either. And when we found out that our book tour for Heart on the Run would start off here…well hell, we had to do something special… There is nothing more special than Chaz and his terrific holiday recipes.
Chaz: They can’t have my recipes. Recipes are like gold in the restaurant business, Sprocket.
Sprocket: Oh come on, honey…just something small to nibble on…maybe a holiday themed something that would melt in my mouth?
Chaz: *gulps and blows hair out of his eyes* For real? I have something that would melt in your mouth…but I’m not giving them the recipe.
Sprocket: *wraps his arms around Chaz* That’s a recipe I won’t share with anyone.
Lee: Havan… I think it’s time to pull the curtain before we surpass ST&RW’s rating. Maybe we could give them our favorite Christmas cookie recipes and call it good?
Havan: *tears eyes away from PG-rated petting working it’s way to R rated fondling* oh…um…sure, you can share cookie recipes…can I be on the other side of the curtain, though?
Lee: No! You can’t be behind the curtain. Give the nice people that chocolate and pumpkin recipe thing you have. Here’s one of my holiday favorites from Lick the bowl Good.
Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a medium bow and mix well.
Spray a miniature muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.(The spray with flour in it works best!) Fill each indention 3/4 of the way full.
Bake in preheated oven for approx 18 minutes.
Havan: Fine…I’ll stay here and bake with you…wanna make this a game of strip baking? *waggles*
Lee: *facepalm*
Havan: hehe, only reason you don’t wanna play is because you’ve got more ingredients than me…
Okay, time for my pumpkin muffins. This is a recipe that I’ve been making for many years now, and it’s actually flown all over the internet also–though I started making them before they became so famous, really. It’s true, because I suck at cooking/baking and these are only 2 ingredients—not even I can screw them up…*whispers* even though I have screwed them up…don’t ask.
Pumpkin muffins (Sprocket loves these)
1 box of cake mix (faves are spice cake & devil’s food cake)
1 can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
That’s it…mix those two together, plop it in the muffin tins, bake at um…well…I just keep an eye on them and a box of toothpicks near the oven. Did I mention I’m not a real baker?
Mix-ins: pecans, chocolate chips (especially if you use the spice cake mix), or cinnamon chips, they all are yummy 🙂
Just remember, the most important thing is to not burn down the house while baking…or set off any of the smoke alarms. 🙂
Thank you Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words for having us today.
Blurb
Charles Darwin Millsworth, Chaz to one and all since infancy, has no wish to live up to the grandeur of his name. Fortunately, his Southern belle mama isn’t at all inclined to push her son into a career that won’t make him happy. She thinks he needs to loosen up and enjoy life. After all, that’s the whole point of being independently wealthy, isn’t it?
Chaz can see her point, but his father died in his forties as did his father before him. As far as Chaz is concerned, he has limited time on this earth to make his dreams come true. And he refuses to leave anyone weeping over a wasted life.
Sprocket Moretti is a simple guy. He loves his job, enjoys college, lives in his beloved childhood home—why worry about the little things when the big stuff looks so good. Unfortunately one of the little things he tries not to stress over is a broken friendship with a very hot and bewildering sous chef. They were pals, hung out and had fun. But one night they stepped over that invisible line, and the next morning Chaz kicked Sprocket out of his bed and his life.
Now, no matter how much Sprocket tries to charm Chaz, the guy has no desire to return to their pre-sex playful bantering ways. And if Sprocket stays true to his motto, this little thing—Chaz—should be written off and never worried about again.
If Sprocket had known one night of reality altering orgasms would endanger their easygoing friendship… How do you finish that sentence when all your mind wants is its friend back and all your body wants is another taste?
Pages or Words: 59,000 words
Beacon Hill, Boston in snow.
Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance, Holiday
Excerpt
Sprocket grabbed the grande hot chocolates—with a dash of his favorite flavoring, pecan—and reached the gazebo with five minutes to spare, per the clock tower.
He set the drinks on the bench of the gazebo so he could spread the blanket across the floor.
“Wow, that’s a huge blanket,” Chaz stated as he took the three step up to stand at the edge of it.
“Never took you for a size queen.” Sprocket winked as he handed him a cup of steaming goodness. “So, what’s for lunch?”
“Oh, well…” Chaz held the basket close to his chest as he slipped off his shoes and situated himself in the middle of the blanket. “Not much.” He pulled a thermos from the basket. “I made homemade tomato soup and chicken salad sandwiches.” He set the thermos down and pulled out wrapped sandwiches, a bag of croutons, a plastic bowl with a translucent red lid, and a small stack of china dishes in rapid succession.
“My grandma used to make me tomato soup and grilled cheese all the time. Except she’d actually grill the cheese before putting it on the sourdough toast. I tried to make it once…didn’t end so well.” He laughed as he shook his head, settling down next to Chaz on the blanket.
“But I’ve heard you and Mason talk; you cook most of the time between the two of you.”
Sprocket accepted the sandwich handed to him and nodded. “Yep. Well you know, we both can cook, but neither of us gets much fun out of it.” He unwrapped the sandwich and picked up half, biting into it. He couldn’t suppress his moan. Damn that was good, and Chaz put nuts in it for crunch, walnuts and pecans. How did he know pecans were Sprocket’s favorite? A part of him wanted to believe maybe Chaz had asked around. Anyone in Craft Time would know and Prudence did too.
Not that it mattered either way. Nothing strange about a friend—and only a friend—knowing something as mundane as that. He quickly chewed and swallowed. “And we definitely don’t do fancy. Unless you count roast, but even then I sprinkle the seasoning on it and throw it in the oven. No fuss, no muss.”
With his next bite, something popped in his mouth, making him want to gag. He held it back, and while Chaz gazed out over the park at the kids running in the playground Sprocket lifted the toast to see what he bit into. Grapes. He grimaced as he quickly plucked the halved grapes out of the salad and dropped them on the napkin by his leg.
“You don’t like grapes?”
Sprocket jumped. Fuck…busted. “I like them fine. I like them right off the vine, frozen, even mashed up as wine…don’t like them so much with seeds, though.”
“Or in a sandwich, apparently.” Chaz noted, gesturing to the evidence on the blanket between them.
“Well…” Sprocket jammed the rest of the sandwich in his mouth and chewed slowly, biding himself some time. While he was trying to break down the enormous amount of food in his mouth, he grabbed the other half of the sandwich and proceeded to pick the grapes out of that also.
Chaz raised an eyebrow at him, and he shrugged. He’d already been caught, no use faking it up now.
Reaching over, Chaz snatched Sprocket’s wrist and guided it to his mouth. Sprocket gulped the food in his mouth down, his stomach somersaulting either from the partially chewed lump it just received or because of the man sitting across from him on the blanket.
This wasn’t what friends did. Friends didn’t use their friend’s fingers as utensils. Still, he probably could’ve gotten past this moment if there hadn’t been a smidge of mayonnaise on the tip of his nail. Chaz spotted it, and while staring Sprocket in the eye, he put that spot right in front of his mouth. They sat like that for an eternity. Sprocket could feel his heart pounding fast, wondered if his pulse alerted Chaz to his extreme interest in the man’s next move.
He wanted to shout at Chaz to lick him. Do it now. Put him out of his misery. There was nothing Sprocket wanted more than to experience the wetness of Chaz’s tongue as it cleaned the white stuff from his finger. That was a lie. Sprocket wanted them to make more white stuff that had to be cleaned off, the kind you couldn’t purchase in a store. Well, maybe you could purchase it…but he really didn’t want his brain to go off on that tangent.
Finally—finally!—Chaz licked the condiment off. Before he could move back and call an end to this little episode, Sprocket broke free of his grip and hooked his hand behind the other man’s neck, holding him there, unable to move away.
When their lips met, it wasn’t gentle and coaxing. Sprocket wasn’t in that kind of mood. He wanted bad and he wanted now. Fuck friends. That whole concept was overrated if it kept him up all night in need. Anyway, this wasn’t his fault. Chaz started this shit; Sprocket would finish it.
And this time, he’d be better prepared. When Chaz kicked him the fuck out of his life, it wouldn’t tear him apart. Because no matter what, he’d make sure there wasn’t a spot in his heart for Chaz. Sprocket willingly would give up half his bed for the man, but nothing more.
While diving his tongue in Chaz’s mouth—reaching far enough back he could say with great certainty Chaz no longer had tonsils—Sprocket damn near convinced himself that he could do that, too.
Then Chaz whimpered, his hand pressing against Sprocket’s chest, right over his heart, and Sprocket knew he was a goner.
Somewhere in a small town in up-state New York are a librarian and a second grade teacher to whom I owe my life. That might be a touch dramatic, but it’s nevertheless one hundred percent true.
Because they taught me the joy of reading, of escaping into worlds crafted of words.
Have you ever been nine years old and sure of nothing so much as that you don’t belong? Looked at the world from behind glasses, and wondered why you don’t fit?
Someone hands you a book, and then you turn the page and see… There you are, running from Injun Joe in a dark graveyard; there you are fencing with Athos; there you are…beneath the deep blue sea- marveling at exotic creatures with Captain Nemo.
I found myself between the pages of books, and that is why I write now. It’s why I taught English and literature for so many years, and it’s why my house contains more pounds of books than furniture.
If I’d had my way, I’d have been a fencer…or a starship captain, or a lawyer, or a detective solving crimes. But instead, I am a writer, and I’ve come to realize that’s the best thing in the world to be, because as a writer, I can be all those things and more.
If I hadn’t learned to value the stories between the pages, who knows what would have happened? Certainly not college…teaching…or writing.
Havan Fellows:
I annoy, love, respect, scare, seduce, hurt, anger, infatuate, frustrate, flatter, envy, amuse and tolerate everyone. I just do it better in writing thanks to a little thing called…edits.
Okay no, seriously…I’m a simpleminded person who enjoys the escape from real life through a book. I write with the group Story Orgy and hope to continue doing so for a long time. I also am privileged to be with the Pulp Friction writers, creating intermingling books in a world all our own.
I recently took the drastic step of quitting my EDJ (evil day job) and am now living in the gorgeous desert in Arizona making a go at this writing stuff full time…and I can’t see me regretting this decision ever.
Just like every other red-blooded human—I get a little bouncy when I get mail (any kind too…email, comments, private messages…you wanna do it, do it with me *winks*). So feel free to drop me a line—whether it’s on my blog, twitter, PInterest, or you track me down on FaceBook or Google +…it’s easy to catch someone who wants to be caught.
Enter to win a Rafflecopter prize of Rafflecopter Prize: Kindle Fire with books from Havan Fellows & Lee Brazil. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the authors and Pride Promotions.
TITLE: My Hero: The Olympian
Max Vos is the bestselling author of My Hero. He is loved by his readers for his ‘inappropriate’ side, bringing hot and steamy sex to his writing. Not hemmed in by a single genre Max has the ability to woo you with sweet romance, move you with the power of his words and make you question your definition of love.
